The sledge that you lent me, I have brought back, said the half-breed with a deprecatory air.
So, you call returning a loan paying your debts? said Duncan.
La Certe did not quite say that, but he thought it bore some resemblance to a payment to account, and at all events was proof of his good intentions.
And on the strength of that youll want plenty more credit, I hev no doubt.
Nonot plenty, said La Certe, with the earnest air of a man who is exposing his whole soul to inspection, and who means to act this time with the strictest sincerity, to say nothing of honesty. It is only a little that I want. Not much. Just enough to keep body and soul from sayin good-bye.
But you have not paid a fraction of your old debt. How will you be expectin to meet the new one?
Oh! La Certe could easily explain that. He was going off immediately to hunt and trap, and would soon return with a heavy load, for there were plenty of animals about. Then in the spring, which was near at hand, he meant to fish, or go to the plains with the hunters, and return laden with bags of pemmican, bales of dried meat, and buffalo-robes enough to pay off all his debts, and leave something over to enable him to spend the winter in luxurious idleness.
And you expect me to believe all that nonsense? said McKay, sternly.
La Certe was hurt. Of course he expected to be believed! His feelings were injured, but he was of a forgiving disposition and would say no more about it. He had expected better treatment, however, from one who had known him so long.
A trip to the plains requires more than powder and shot, said the store-keeper; where will you be goin to get a horse an cart? for you can hev mine no longer.
Dechamp, he promise to sole me a horse, an Mrs Davisn will loan me a cart, returned the half-breed, with lofty independence.
Hm! an you will be returnin the cart an payin for the horse when the hunt is over, I suppose?
Yes, that was exactly the idea that was in La Certes brain, and which, he hoped and fully expected, to reduce to practice in course of timeif Duncan McKay would only assist him by making him a few advances at that present time.
Well, what do you want? asked McKay, getting off the bath.
The half-breed wanted a good many things. As he was going off in the course of a few days, and might not be able to return for a long time, he might as well take with him even a few things that he did not absolutely need at the moment. Of course he wanted a good supply of powder, shot, and ball. Without that little or nothing could be done. Then a new axe, as his old one was much wornthe steel almost goneand it was well-known that a trapper without an axe was a very helpless creature. A tin kettle was, of course, an absolute necessity; and the only one he possessed had a small hole in it. A few awls to enable him to mend his bark canoe when open water came, and a couple of steel traps, some gun-flints, and, O yes, he had almost forgotten a most essential thingtwine to make a net, and some fish-hooks.
It iss a regular outfit you will be wanting, remarked the store-keeper, as he handed over the various articles.
O nonot a regular oneonly a very little one, considering the length of time he should be away, and the wealth with which he would return. But again he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten something else.
Well, what iss it?
Some glovers needles and sinews for making leather coats and moccasins. Needles and thread and scissors, for it was quite clear that people could not live without suitable clothing. A new capote, also, andanda yard or two of scarlet cloth with a few beads.
As he made the last request, La Certe attempted to speak insinuatingly, and to look humble.
Come, that iss pure extravagance, said McKay, remonstrating.
La Certe could not, dare not, face his wife without these articles. He pleaded earnestly. Slowfoot is so clever wi the needle, he said. See! she send you a pair of moccasins.
The wily man here drew from the breast of his capote a pair of beautifully made moccasins, soft as chamois leather, and richly ornamented with dyed quills of the porcupine.
McKay laughed; nevertheless he swallowed the bait and was pleased. He finally handed the goods to La Certe, who, when he had obtained all that he could possibly squeeze out of the store-keeper, bundled up the whole, made many solemn protestations of gratitude and honest intentions, and went off to cheer Slowfoot with the news of his success.
It chanced that Antoine Dechamp, the very man about whom he had been talking to Duncan McKay, had dropped in to see him and his spouse, and was sitting beside the fire smoking when he entered. Displaying his possessions with much pride, he assured Dechamp that he had paid for the whole outfit, and meant to return in the spring a rich man with means enough to buy a horse and cart, and start with the buffalo-hunters for the plains.
You have a horse to sellthey say? he remarked to his friend in a careless way.
Yesand a good one too, answered Dechamp.
Well, if you will loan him to me in the spring, I will pay for him when I come back. It takes all I have to fit me out to start, you see.
Dechamp did not quite see his way to thatbut there was plenty of time to think over it!
Have you heard, said Dechamp, willing to change the subject, there is some talk that Perrin has been killed? George McDermid was out, like many others, huntin about for the starvin people, an he came across the wives of Blanc and Pierrepoor things! theyre widows now, for Blanc and Pierre are both dead. Well, the women had well-nigh given in. I had dropped down, they were so tired, and were crawlin on their hands and knees when McDermid found them. I didnt hear all the outs and ins of it, but there is no doubt that poor Perrin has been murdered, for he was shot right through the breast.
Perhaps he shot hisself, suggested La Certe.
Nothat could not be, for the women have brought his coat, which shows that the ball went in at the breast and came straight out at the back. If he had shot himself he must have pulled the trigger with his toe, an then the ball would have slanted up from his breast to somewhere about his shoulders.
It was a Saulteaux, may be, said Slowfoot, who had been listening with all the eagerness of a gossip.
There were no marks of Redskins snow-shoes about, returned Dechamp, an the tracks were too confused to make them out. A knife was found, but there were no marks about it to tell who owned itonly it was a settlers knife, but there are lots of them about, an many have changed hands since the settlers came.
At the time we write of, the colony of Red River of the north was in a very unhappy and disorganised condition. There were laws indeed, but there was no authority or force sufficiently strong to apply the laws, and discord reigned because of the two great fur companiesthe Hudsons Bay, and the Nor-Westwhich opposed each other with extreme bitterness, carrying fire-water, dissension, and disaster all over the wilderness of Ruperts Land. Happily the two companies coalesced in the year 1821, and from that date, onward, comparative peace has reigned under the mild sway of the Hudsons Bay Company.
But at the period which we describe the coalition had not taken place, and many of the functionaries of the Hudsons Bay Company in Red River, from the Governor downward, seem to have been entirely demoralised, if we are to believe the reports of contemporary historians.
Some time previous to this, the Earl of Selkirkchiefly from philanthropic views, it is saidresolved to send a colony to Red River. At different times bands of Scotch, Swiss, Danes, and others, made their appearance in the Settlement. They had been sent out by the agents of the Earl, but there was a great deal of mismanagement and misunderstanding, both as to the motives and intentions of the Earl. The result was that the half-breeds of Red Riverinfluenced, it is said, by the Nor-West Companyreceived the newcomers with suspicion and ill-will. The Indians followed the lead of the half-breeds, to whom they were allied. Not only was every sort of obstruction thrown in the way of the unfortunate immigrants, but more than once during those first years they were driven from the colony, and their homesteads were burned to the ground.
There must have been more than the usual spirit of indomitable resolution in those people, however, for notwithstanding all the opposition and hardship they had to endure, they returned again and again to their farms, rebuilt their dwellings, cultivated their fields, and, so to speak, compelled prosperity to smile on themand that, too, although several times the powers of Nature, in the shape of grass hoppers and disastrous floods, seemed to league with men in seeking their destruction.
Perhaps the Scottish element among the immigrants had much to do with this resolute perseverance. Possibly the religious element in the Scotch had more to do with it still.
The disastrous winter which we have slightly sketched was one of the many troubles with which not only the newcomers, but all parties in the colony, were at this time afflicted.
Chapter Seven.
Vixen Delivered and Wolves Defeated
With much labour and skill had the Davidsons and McKays erected two timber cottages side by side in the land of their adoption.
These two families were among the first band of settlers. They were very different in characterone being Highland, the other Lowland Scotch, but they were more or less united by sympathy, intermarriage, and long residence beside each other on the slopes of the Grampian Hills, so that, on the voyage out, they made a compact that they should stick by each other, and strive, and work, and fight the battle of life together in the new land.
All the members of the Davidson family were sterling, sedate, hearty, and thorough-going. Daniel and Peter were what men style dependable fellows, and bore strong resemblance to their father, who died almost immediately after their arrival in the new country. Little Jessie was like her mother, a sort of bottomless well of sympathy, into which oceans of joy or sorrow might be poured without causing an overflowexcept, perchance, at the eyelidsand out of which the waters of consolation might be pumped for evermore without pumping dry. The idea of self never suggested itself in the presence of these two. The consequence was that everybody adored them. It was rather a selfish adoration, we fear, nevertheless it was extremely delightfulto the adorers, we meanand doubtless not unpleasant to the adored.
The love of God, in Christ, was the foundation of their characters.
Of the McKay family we cannot speak so confidently. Elspie, indeed, was all that could be desired, and Fergus was in all respects a sterling man; but the head of the family was, as we have seen, open to improvement in many respects, and Duncan junior was of that heart-breaking character which is known as neer-do-weel. Possibly, if differently treated by his father, he might have been a better man. As it was, he was unprincipled and hasty of temper.
Little wonder that, when thrown together during a long voyageto an almost unknown landElspie McKay and Daniel Davidson should fall into that condition which is common to all mankind, and less wonder that, being a daring youth with a resolute will, Daniel should manage to induce the pliant, loving Elspie, to plight her troth while they were gazing over the ships side at the first iceberg they met. We may as well hark back here a little, and very briefly sketch the incident. It may serve as a guide to others.
The two were standingaccording to the report of the bosn, who witnessed the whole affairabaft the main shrouds squintin over the weather gangway. We are not quite sure of the exact words used by that discreditable bosn, but these are something like them. It was moon-light and dead calm; therefore propitious, so far, to Daniels designfor Daniel undoubtedly had a design that night, obvious to his own mind, and clearly defined like the great iceberg, though, like it too, somewhat hazy in detail.
What a glorious, magnificent object! exclaimed Elspie, gazing in wonder at the berg, the pinnacles of which rose considerably above the mast-head.
Yes, very glorious, very magnificent! said Daniel, gazing into the maidens eyes, and utterly regardless of the berg.
I wonder how such a huge mass ever manages to melt, said Elspiefor the human mind, even in pretty girls, is discursive.
I wonder it does not melt at once, said Dan, with pointed emphasis.
What do you mean? she asked, turning her eyes in considerable astonishment from the berg to the man.
I mean, said he, that under the influence of your eyes the iceberg ought to melt straight away. They have melted my heart, Elspie, and That has been an iceberg, I find, till now.
He seized her hand. It had all come on so suddenly that poor Elspie was quite unprepared for it. She turned as if to fly, but Daniel put his arm round her waist and detained her.
Elspie, dearest Elspie, it must be settled nowor. He would notcould notsay never.
O Daniel, dont! entreated Elspie.
But Daniel did.
Bray-vo! exclaimed the bosn with enthusiasm, for he was a sympathetic man, though unprincipled in the matter of eavesdropping.
That cut it short. They retired precipitately from the weather gangway abaft the main shrouds, and sought refuge in a sequestered nook near the companion-hatch, which was, in name as well as in every other way, much more suited to their circumstances. The steersman had his eye on them there, but they fortunately did not know it.
Apologising for this reminiscence, we return to the thread of our story.
Mrs Davidson was seated at breakfast one morning, with all her family around her in Prairie Cottage. She had named it thus because, from one of the windows, there was to be had a peep of the prairies lying beyond the bushes by which it was surrounded.
Old McKay had named his cottage Ben Nevis, either because the country around was as flat as a pancake, or out of sheer contradictiousness.
Have they found out anything more about the murder of that poor fellow Perrin? asked Mrs Davidson. More than four months have passed since it happened.
Nothing more, mother, said Dan, who now filled his fathers chair. As you say, four months have passed, and one would think that was time enough to discover the murderer, but, you see, it is nobodys business in particular, and weve no regular police, and everybody is far too busy just now to think about it. In fact, not many people in these parts care much about a murder, I fear.
Ah if they went to see Perrins old mother, said Jessie, it would oblige them to care a great deal, for he was her only son.
Ay, her only child! added Mrs Davidson.
While she was yet speaking, it so happened that Duncan McKay junior himself entered the room, with that over-done free-and-easiness which sometimes characterises a man who is ill at ease.